


when distance becomes the act of love

by redheadlady



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, Healthcare Worker, M/M, Pandemics, Quarantine, i just want to say please stay home and stay safe, i wrote this in one day, idea from under my shower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23479828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redheadlady/pseuds/redheadlady
Summary: Hinata was transferred to the front lines while Kageyama stayed at their compact apartment.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 7
Kudos: 94





	when distance becomes the act of love

March 8, 2020.

The officials announced one more death due to the pandemic after a week without any addition, making it seven in total since the first demise back in February. Kageyama quietly let out a long-sigh, gripping firmly on the arm of the couch as he read the current number of cases in Japan on the headline-bar at the bottom of the screen. 488, which meant 33 people were tested positive in one day.

He turned his head to Hinata, who had perched on the dining table, one hand gripping the edges while the other holding his phone, eyes locked to the screen as he typed. No scowl was displayed on his face, not even a crease between his eyebrows, as if there was nothing to worry whatsoever, as if he had expected it. 

Not the death,  _ obviously _ , and not the ever-growing amount of cases, that could be foreseen by  _ anyone _ . It was as if Hinata had expected how he would be assigned to shift at the hospital next town, the one that had been converted to be exclusively for the patients of the pandemic. Kageyama winced as he remembered the call in which Hinata had received about six hours ago. 

Kageyama reached out an arm to the coffee-table, picked up the remote and turned the TV off. The sudden silence caught Hinata’s attention, he looked up from his phone to check on his partner. Kageyama stood up from where he was sitting and ambled towards him, both hands shoved into his hoodie. He positioned himself right in front of Hinata and rested his forehead on his, slouching a little to match their height. Hinata stared at him through his lashes, lips slightly curled up to form a smile.

“What is it, ‘Yama?” Hinata asked tenderly, his free hand reached up to brush the smooth black hair. “There’s nothing to be antsy about. It’s not like I’m going into a  _ legit _ battle you know.”

“But still,” Kageyama muttered as he moved his head down and snuggled against the crook of Hinata’s shoulder. “It’s still dangerous and you will be placed on the front lines.”

“I’ve been on  _ front lines _ since high-school, though?” Hinata smirked, arching an eyebrow. He’d placed his phone down the dining table and wrapped his arms around Kageyama, pulling him closer. He could tell Kageyama’d rolled his eyes and snorted at his statement, but he didn’t reply back, not even with his usual  _ ‘dumbass, dumbass _ ’. Instead, he tightened the hug, so tight that Hinata’s breath hitched at the action.

When they pulled apart, Kageyama cupped Hinata’s cheek with one of his hands while the other still enveloped around Hinata’s back. He gently rubbed the freckled skin with his thumb, eyes looking straight into those brown irises that were so clear he could note his own reflection on them.

“You could have stayed with the  _ front lines  _ in volleyball.” His voice was only a pitch louder than a murmur. “Or, at least, you could’ve called in sick. Could’ve told them you’d caught a bad cold or whatever.”

“They would immediately run a test on me!” Hinata burst out before dissolving into laughter. When he saw Kageyama curled his lips to his signature pout, he toned down to a chuckle. “I will be alright,” Hinata added, softly, but certain. He latched his fingers over the back of Kageyama’s hand and gave it a long squeeze. “ _ You know  _ I will be alright.”

*

March 9, 2020.

It was dawn. Kageyama woke up the moment Hinata slipped himself out of the duvet. Under the dim light, he watched Hinata as he tiptoed towards their table-drawer. He pulled out anything that was on the top of the pile and continued to sneak into the bathroom. Kageyama stared at the closed door until Hinata walked out again, his old university-sweatshirt had turned into a neat button-down shirt and pair of trousers.

“Does it have to be this early?” Kageyama grumbled, his voice sounded deeper with his throat dry. 

“Go back to sleep. It may be from home but you still have work to do,” Hinata told him as he tried to untangle his curls with a comb although he’d known it wouldn’t make any difference. “Also, don’t forget you have online-meeting at nine,” he added, slightly hissing when the comb caught in his hair, pulling at his head.

Kageyama heavily sat up on the bed, leaning on both arms to keep himself from collapsing again, head hanging down. “I’ll drive you to the hospital,” he said.

“No,  _ of course  _ you’re not. I don’t want to get involved in a drive-and-sleep road-accident first thing in the morning.” Hinata pivoted on his heel to face his partner, swinging the comb like a magic wand. Kageyama let out another grumble of protest and Hinata smiled at the act. He walked to the side of the bed and settled himself beside Kageyama, tucking in his head on the shoulder of his partner. 

Kageyama nuzzled his cheek against the top of Hinata's head. He took one of Hinata’s hands and planted a kiss on his palm, and then on the back of his hand. Hinata could feel his heart swelled at the warmth of Kageyama’s breath against his cold skin. 

If he  _ could _ , of course he would rather stay next to Kageyama. He wouldn’t mind being quarantined inside their compact apartment if it meant having Kageyama stuck with him twenty-four-seven. Hinata could swear Kageyama’s embrace was the most secure place for him. The world could be ending and Kageyama’s arms would be the only place Hinata would throw himself into. 

“Do you want me to cook dinner?” Kageyama muttered and Hinata hummed in response as he shifted his position so he could envelop his arms around Kageyama.

“Sure, but leave it in the fridge. I’ll probably be home late,” Hinata replied, voice muffled as he sank his face into Kageyama’s chest, breathing on his partner’s scent that he’d never got enough of. Kageyama clipped Hinata’s chin up and brought their lips together.

“I have to go,” Hinata mumbled when they pulled apart. He looked up into his partner’s deep-blue eyes and gave him another reassuring smile before swinging his legs off the bed to the floor. He turned around to face Kageyama again and leaned forward to peck on his cheek one last time. “Stay home, stay safe,” he told him. “Don’t forget your Zoom meeting.”

“Text me when you’ve reached the hospital,” Kageyama blurted when Hinata was about to step out of the bedroom.

“Of course. Go back to sleep, ‘Yama,” Hinata promised before shutting the door behind him.

*

March 16, 2020.

_ The government plans to bar foreign nationals who have visited these areas within fourteen days of seeking to enter Japan. The measure is expected to be authorized shortly during a government task force meeting. The government has also announced that they are currently planning to expand the restriction of entry by foreigners from four new countries. _

Hinata sipped on his coffee as he listened to the midnight news-report on the television. His eyes, however, weren't watching the video they’d been showing on the screen; instead, he was focusing on the news ticker at the bottom of the channel. 829 cases in total, he read, with 28 deaths. Long, exhausted sigh escaped his lips. 

Kageyama quietly appeared from behind the couch and was about to wind his arms around Hinata when Hinata instantaneously lurched his upper-body forward as far as he could, out of the reach of Kageyama.

“Kageyama! I’ve told you not to touch me!” Hinata exclaimed in surprise with a hint of panic. 

“Fuck the virus.”

“ _ No _ ,  _ you don’t– _ ” Hinata stood up to put more distance as Kageyama outstretched his arms further. “Kageyama!”

Kageyama groaned, slamming his arms to the back of the couch angrily at his third failure to hold his partner. Hinata pressed his lips together into a straight line. He himself was trying his best to hold back the urge to hug Kageyama, to launch himself into the ever-so-warm embrace and collide their lips together. Nevertheless, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

It had been a full week since Hinata’s relocation and since then he had forbidden Kageyama to touch and kiss him as he might be a potential carrier of the virus, not that Kageyama understood what  _ carrier  _ meant–let alone the  _ potential  _ part (he’d simplified it by saying that touching him was not safe). Even when the hospital had provided their health-worker with complete equipment from respirator to face-shield, it didn’t make Hinata less-concerned about the possibility that at least a part of his body might had been contaminated.

A sly person Kageyama was, he had managed to catch Hinata several times and wrapped his arms around that smaller body of his. Hinata would yell at him as he waggled himself out of the clutch, sometimes followed by locking himself in the guest bedroom until the next morning. Kageyama had never attempted to kiss him though, he seemed to understand how serious Hinata was about the ban of kissing. They hadn’t kissed since  _ that dawn _ .

Kageyama climbed over the couch and plopped his body onto the cushion, bouncing slightly at the impact, causing their old sofa to creak and wobble. He crossed his legs and threw his head back, huffing out his annoyance. Hinata straightened up and directed his gaze back to the TV; not because he wanted to watch the news, but because his heart clenched each time he caught even a glimpse of disappointment on Kageyama’s face. It was painful, for him as well. 

“Fuck Covid,” Kageyama grumbled, lips pouting. 

Hinata snorted a laugh. “If you want,” he replied. 

“I want to go outside,  _ oh god _ , I’m sick of my  _ fucking _ laptop,” he started off, wiping his face with both hands. “I can’t be caged here,  _ fuck _ , I want to go outside and–“ he paused, taking a deep breath. “ _ –well,  _ at least if I’m being quarantined, I want to be quarantined with  _ you _ . We can do  _ things  _ together. Watching your favorite series on Netflix, playing  _ The Last of Us II _ when it comes out–“

“And by playing _The Last of Us_ together, you mean you handle the controller and I sit around doing the commentary?”

“That because you suck, _dumbass_ ,” Kageyama rolled his eyes. “Anyway, but instead, you always come back home really late and leave super early and I can’t be caged here alone–well, alone _most of the time_.”

Hinata turned to him, hugging one of his legs with his chin resting on the knee. “You want this to be over, right?"

“Don’t you?”

“ _ I do _ .” Hinata lowered his gaze to the table in front of him. His coffee had gone cold. “That’s why I go to work,” he continued. “That’s why I take care of those patients.”

“But if that means sacrificing your own safety I–"

“Kageyama, where do you want to go?” Hinata cut his sentence. He adjusted himself to sit upright and looked straight to Kageyama, tilting his chin down slightly. The sudden question caught Kageyama by surprise. He opened his mouth but not a word was formed. Hinata carried on, “Remember our plan that we’ll go to Disneyland to celebrate Natsu’s birthday? Well, Disneyland’s closed now. Also, remember we’ve promised your mom that we’re going to do flower-viewing with her? Hanami’s totally prohibited. I’m quite positive that they’ll soon announce the postponement of the Olympic too."

“It’s already bad as it is, ‘Yama. I don’t want this too. Being by your side but not able to touch you? Completely nightmare.” Hinata averted his eyes and swallowed. Kageyama stayed silent as he waited for Hinata to find his voice again. “We want this to be over. That’s why we have to work  _ together _ . I’m doing everything I can in the front line and as for you–“ he paused again to shoot a smile at him. “ _ Please stay home.” _

Kageyama slowly reached out and gently took Hinata’s hand into his own. “I love you.”

Hinata let that slide. “I love you, more.”

*

March 24, 2020.

A thousand cases in total with thirty-five deaths. Hinata sighed as he locked the screen of his phone and sank back into his chair. It’s not as if he’d expected the number to decrease anytime soon, though part of him had wished the graph would magically flatten to zero. They had just reported the reschedule of Tokyo Olympic as well, to summer next year. 

Hinata sailed his gaze around the staff room. Today would be the last day he stayed here. However, it didn’t mean he’d be going home to his apartment and back to his partner’s embrace, no, it’s actually the complete opposite. He got transferred again, to another hospital in need of health-workers, front-lines, isolation part of the installation. He would also move to the housing near the hospital provided by the institution.

He had informed Kageyama three days before. Of course, Kageyama was  _ devastated _ . There had been a shattered plate from where he’d heard the news and several cans of beer from where he’d tried to accept it. Hinata had already been a professional health-worker for a while now. It’s a matter of time whether he’d get relocated to  _ more serious _ facilities.

“How do you feel, Hinata- _ senpai _ ?” One of the student nurses asked him from across the table.

Hinata curled a corner of his lips up, fiddling with the hem of his scrub. “Missing my boyfriend?” he said under his breath but it was loud enough to be heard.

The student nurse hummed and nodded her head, both in understanding and agreement. “A whole mood,” she said and they laughed together.

Hinata  _ actually _ didn’t need to move to the housing, it was optional, just provided specifically for those who lived far away. Hinata didn’t live far away– _ well,  _ not close, but not unreachable. He could make a return-trip easily with his car. Regardless, he didn’t want to stay  _ too close  _ to Kageyama, especially after spending hours inside the isolation.

He would miss Kageyama, he would absolutely miss him so much, maybe even day one into the replacement. He would think about how he could had stayed in the bed, under their fluffy blanket with Kageyama next to him. He could’ve snuggled on those broad, toned chest of his partner, breathing on his scent, drowning in the warmth of his embrace. But with the possibility of Kageyama being infected? Hinata would even travel to the other side of the world if it meant Kageyama’s away from danger.

Weird wasn’t it? Now that the act of love didn’t consist of hugs and kisses, but distance.

Not that being a healthcare worker was  _ so great  _ anyway. Hinata had committed to taking care of the sick patient, not to be yelled at in every room he’d stepped into. The N95 mask suffocated him and those thick layers of protective gear weren’t exactly comfortable. He solely wanted this to be over, and that’s why, he’s there.

“Hinata-senpai, I think that’s your boyfriend?” 

“Huh?” Hinata raised his head to face the student nurse. She was pointing a finger to the direction of Hinata’s back. Hinata followed her lead and turned around to the glass-wall that separated the staff room with the corridor.

Kageyama.

Hinata slammed his palms into the table as he stood up to his feet. He hurriedly grabbed his phone and dialed on the first number in his call log. Kageyama picked up at the first ring-back tone. 

“Kageyama,  _ you absolute idiot _ , you can’t be here!” Hinata screamed to the phone. “It’s a  _ fucking  _ Covid facility, go the fuck home!”

“Hinata, I–,” Kageyama replied, his voice was low and calm despite Hinata’s high-pitched tone. “ _ I don’t know _ , I just want to see you, I guess.”

“Could’ve used video call for  _ fuck’s sake _ , go home! I–“ Hinata halted, he looked back to his partner and his heart tightened for what he’d endured. He gulped hard and started to make his way towards his partner behind the wall-glass. Kageyama placed one hand on the surface and Hinata connected it with his own gloved-hand. He looked up to meet Kageyama’s eyes and the blue of his irises shattered him. “How did you get in here, oh my god,” Hinata sniffled, speaking quietly. “You’re so stupid,  _ Bakayama.” _ __

“I hope this will be over soon,” Kageyama whispered into the phone.

“I know,” Hinata replied with a cracked voice, holding back his sobs. “When it’s over let’s play  _ The Last of Us,  _ although we probably will be late several  _ months _ .”

“Ah!” Kageyama exclaimed suddenly, “Good news for us, it’s been delayed to indefinite time due to logistic issues or some sort. Probably they’ll release it when the outbreak’s over. Let’s play together. I will share the console, I promise.”

Hinata let out a chuckle at his statement, eyes fixed on their connected hands that were at the same time separated by the thick-glass. “Let’s also go to Disneyland, and maybe take your mom to a good restaurant downtown.”

“Whatever you say,  _ Shouyou _ .” Kageyama bent his knees a little to match their height. “When everything’s over, let’s play volleyball.”

“It will be over,” Hinata smiled at him fondly. “Send me a ton of tosses, okay?”

“I will then give you tons of tosses until you’re sick of them.” Kageyama promised and Hinata’s smile widened to a grin. “I love you so much,” Kageyama added.

“Stay home, Tobio,” Hinata told him. “That’s how I know that you love me.”

*

**Author's Note:**

> i saw a video of a frontline nurse kissing her partner through a glass-wall. it was sad i cried under the shower and wrote this fic. please stay home, stay safe.
> 
> twt: @kumachan_0201


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